


i want brimstone in my garden, i want roses set on fire

by blessed_image



Series: bury a friend: umbrella academy fics [3]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Agender Number Five | The Boy, Blood, Confusion, Devotion, Five is sad, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Klaus and Allison are sweethearts :(, Mental Instability, Murder, Number Five | The Boy Has Issues, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, Obsession, Other, Protective Number Five | The Boy, This is actually ridiculous, WHEN I SAY THIS IS FUCKED, anyway, bc five needs her, bc i like the idea of her staying, btw dolores didnt go back to the store, btw its deliberately fast paced, but they love dolores, five is very exaggerated, like? so much? please theyre so cute, luther is gross lol, omg...this is..messed up, thats kinda...the point, very, very very very, yo wtf all my shit is messed up what am i on abt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-11-17 15:35:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18101402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blessed_image/pseuds/blessed_image
Summary: Five isn't a very sensitive person. Five doesn't care much for anything. Or at least, that's what people thought.AKAPeople are assholes and Five goes sicko mode.





	i want brimstone in my garden, i want roses set on fire

_**if I were the sun, and you were the sky; I would never set.** _

**_i'd hover above the edge of the water waiting for you to shine_ **

**_your stars on me,_ **

**_so I could become bigger than i_ **

**_actually am._ **

**_\- Christy Ann Martine._ **

 

* * *

It was disturbing. That was the simplest way to describe it, everyone thought when it came to the topic of Dolores. All five (six) of the other Hargreeves would sit together, every time Five came up with an excuse to leave ( _Dolores is bored, Dolores is angry, Dolores is scared, Dolores hates you all),_ and they would all be silent. Just staring at the fire, the fire or the floor or the wall or, sometimes, the empty space previously occupied by the eldest- yet youngest- member of the family.

Luther would call it creepy, the way an ex-assassin trapped inside a thirteen year old's body (who had previously admitted to laying beside and taking care of their decomposing dead bodies) would talk to the bust of a mannequin; actually hearing a response every time. He would call it creepy how they would sit there, staring down at it's bullet-hole riddled face and how Five would wear a smile of pure joy- nodding, laughing, talking, arguing- with a _fucking mannequin._ How their face would contort to unfiltered, animalistic rage whenever someone would (accidentally, purposefully) call it an it. How they would make an extra serving of food for it.

_It, it, it, it, it, it._

Allison called it sweet how much they care about her, how devoted they are to making sure she was okay (Luther would argue how a mannequin cannot be okay, but Allison would shake her head in disagreement; insisting on how Dolores was Five's only real grip on sanity- which could also be argued.)

  
Klaus would go along with it, always going to make sure both Five and Dolores were comfortable- as much as Ben would frown in his peripheral vision, worried that doing so would encourage Five's concerning actions. Klaus would always shake his criticisms off, insisting that it would get a lot worse without her.

Vanya would just watch. Watch her words, watch her actions, watch their interactions. She wouldn't like offending or annoying Five, they don't deserve any more trouble. She would watch how Five would absentmindedly do something, like curl a strand of his hair with a finger- only to forget seconds, maybe minutes, later and lightly smack Dolores' shoulder; accusing her of committing the action.

Diego was neutral about the situation. Leaning neither towards the encouraging, nor wary side. He would simply tell Luther to shut up and stop being rude.

 

But there is one thing all six of them could agree on.

_This specific instance is the one most disturbing thing any of them have ever come across._

 

They were all out for food, choosing a restaurant that Allison had been continuously requesting that they all go to- Klaus asking for a seven seater booth, only to have Five nudge him, making him backtrack and ask for an eight. Five smiled up at him, Dolores clutched tightly in their arms; ignoring the grimace Luther sent them. It takes all their will power (not just Five's, but everyone's- all of them aware of the seemingly whole restaurant staring with prying eyes at the group, the empty seat, and the half-destroyed mannequin) not to snap at the people acting like this is a sight seeing, tourist hotspot. However, no one could ignore the way a group of four friends glared at them all for several minutes straight; brave enough to just laugh at the deathly look the entire table, specifically Allison and aside from Vanya, sends back. 

Vanya, instead, just watches Five- trying her best not to get worked up about the attention drawn to them all. They're anxious. Gripping the hem of their shorts, suddenly interested in the way they're sewn, as they glower at the offending group. Vanya clears her throat, reaching over the table to tap on Five's less shaky fist- and they look up at her swiftly, she wonders how they didn't get whiplash from the intensity of the movement. She nods down at their hands, and they frantically look down, too; removing their hands- instead using one to tap on the hardwood of the table, the other shoved into one of the pockets of their blazer. 

She smiles as the rest of the siblings turn away, too, but is slightly annoyed at how Luther avoids looking at Five to check that they're okay. But she presumes he just doesn't care about anyone there but Allison, who (luckily) holds a strong grudge against the tallest member of the circus family herself. 

"Some people are just so nosy." Klaus complains, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. "Motherfucking cishets."

Allison, Vanya, Diego and Ben laugh at this- only eliciting a small smile out of Five, and no reaction from Luther whatsoever. Nobody but Vanya notices, but Five also side-eyes the seat in which they placed Dolores; so she presumes she reacted, too. 

The moment doesn't last long, though, because suddenly Five is standing up and straightening out their blazer- trying their best to not look at anyone as they reach for Dolores. They shuffle awkwardly past the two people that had them cornered in one side of the booth (Diego, who tried his best to manoeuvre himself so that it'd be less uncomfortable, and Allison, who stood up and out of the booth as they tripped over Diego's foot. They break their fall by grabbing ahold of Allison's arm.). Everyone sits up slightly at this, ready to catch them in case they do fall- but also to inquire as to where they are going. They shush them all by holding up a single, slender finger.

"I just have somewhere I need to go. I won't be a minute." They smile shortly, and Allison mutters a small "okay, be careful" at them. They nod and hurry away, leaving the restaurant with their beloved Dolores. Allison reclaims her seat at the booth, chuckling slightly at the actions of her sibling.

"That was...weird." Diego states after a moment, and everyone nods- apart from Klaus.

"Uhh..." He adds intellectually to the conversation, bloating up his cheeks as he looks around- looking for something, or rather _someone_. "Guys?"

"What?" Luther asks, not really paying much attention since it's Klaus trying to get the attention. He looks up for a split second, looking back down before hesitantly looking back up at a wide-eyed Klaus. "What is it, Klaus?" he sighs.

Said man points behind him with his thumb towards the table where all the douchebags were. Keyword: were. Then, he nods down towards the table; specifically where Five was previously seated. The wood had been sliced lightly, as if something was dragged across it- and one of the utensils had gone missing. Luther and Diego abruptly stand up at this, Allison following the action not too shortly afterwards. 

"That's-" Vanya starts. "That's probably not a good thing."

They all nod to each other and leave the restaurant, Allison quickly throwing some money at the employees there calling after them all. They rush out the door and look around, Diego instructing that he, Vanya and Allison go left- Klaus, consequently Ben, and Luther go right. Splitting up, they quickly walk their separate ways; yet, it isn't long before they each hear Klaus call out for Diego- who turns and sees a his head poke out behind the wall next to the restaurant, heading into an alleyway.

_They walk forwards. They turn the corner. They widen their eyes. They see for the very first time, the true extent of what Five would do for Dolores._

 

"...Five?"

They look up from the floor, hugging the roughed up mannequin tightly- and a silver knife, slick with redness, laid next to them on the concrete floor of the dark, hidden pathway. They frown when they notice the look in their sibling's eyes: fear. Raw, cold fear. The type of fear that can make even the least empathetic, the most evil people feel a synthetic chill go down their spine.

"What did you do?" someone asks, but Five can't quite recognise who it is- too entranced by the look in everyone's eyes. They feel exposed, they feel like they have just been plucked up like a flower and pressed in between the dust-covered pages of a rotten book.  _Fear._

"I don't..." They start, finally noticing the look isn't directed at them (which is relieving) but behind them. Their breath catches in their throat, a thick lump in there preventing them from breathing correctly. Their brain short-circuits, all thoughts come to a sudden halt, all knowledge of  _where_ and _why_ and  _who_ they are is just gone. Because they can't fucking breathe. And they can't fucking believe what they're looking at. And now they can hardly fucking see because the lack of oxygen reaching their lungs, the mass tonne of water suddenly pouring from their eyes- becoming the new substitute for air, drowning them slowly. And they're choking, they're sobbing but no noise in coming out because _they can't fucking breathe._

**_Bodies. Everywhere. All they can see is bodies- four spread as much as they can be across the floor. With various extents of damage, and theres one s t a r i n g  at them. Eyes open, blue- stunning oceanic blue (they're drowning, why isn't anyone doing anything?)- staring straight at them. Unblinking, because the body- the man- is dead._ **

_**Because Five had just killed him. Killed him and the other three people strung across the alley floor.** _

"Holy shit." Someone whispers, before footsteps take over the silence; and a hand is on their shoulder, and they still can't fucking  _breathe._ "Five, you're okay."

_No. No, they aren't._

"..." They stay silent, only heavily breathing- hyperventilating- with their arms getting consistently tighter against whatever it is their holding and they look down and  _oh. Oh, that's right. Dolores._

She's frowning at him, worried. She's staring at him, eyes glazed over _(please don't say it's fear, you can't be scared too, Dolores)._ Why can't they read what she's thinking? Why can't she just _say something?_

"Dolores..." he whimpers, very slowly as a way to combat the heaviness of their throat. She frowns harder in response, so to avoid seeing the ( _are you scared of me, too?)_ look in her eyes; Five uses their eyes to scan her face. She's dirty, she's covered in muck- and theres a few lines of blood striping her cheek. They turn to whoever it is holding their shoulder. "Do you have a tissue?"

It's Klaus, Klaus who has seen so much fucked up shit in his life that what he is seeing now is probably nothing in comparison. He nods, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a packet of aloe vera tissues- handing a singular paper over to Five, who shakily accepts it. They turn back to Dolores, and without wasting another second- they wipe at her blood-stained skin. She leans into the touch ( _that means you aren't scared, right?),_ kindly blinking her bright honey eyes at them; glossy lips turned upwards finally, _softly._ From behind them, Five hears Luther scoff- but they pay no mind, too focused on cleaning the girl before them instead. Klaus shouts "shut up" at him, and they also hear Luther start another argument, as per usual, but they don't care enough to listen.

The blood is wiped off in a matter of seconds, and soft paper is coated in a sickly scarlet shade; Dolores is still smiling, and Five smiles back- glad to no longer see the frown. It was the blood bothering her, not them, never them. She ensures they know this: _Not you, dear. I couldn't do that._ _You're too good, for me._

Five used to think Dolores never lied to them, but doesn't say anything about her obvious façade. Her eyes are too soft. She thinks they took it too far, again. They just shake their head and, finally, think.

_I'm not good._

* * *

_**dawn is breaking:** _

_**a fleeting moment when the sun** _

_**can kiss the moon.** _

_**-AKR** _

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading ig skssk  
> follow ME ON TWT and u can send shit to my ccs. @TERUHASHl on twt  
> ALSO people lacking empathy are not inherently evil,,,or at least I hope not since im the literal most insensitive person alive.  
> JSAHSGHD ALSO ALOE VERA TISSUES R THE BOMB BITCH But theyre probably bad for the environment so uh research that ig idk
> 
> AND if ur reading the whole series,,,,,,,,,,,,mf im so sorry but im currently writing tomorrows post and uh,,,,that shit is mad sad my heart doin that clenching shit


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